Video: Gaethje Breaks His Silence On First Pro Loss: “He Was The Better Man … For 1 Second”

Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez coached across from rising mixed martial arts star Justin Gaethje on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. For TUF 26, the two MMA warriors trained a new wave of female flyweight competitors for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). After enduring a season of trash-talk and competition, the two fighters were given a shot to settle the score at Saturday’s UFC 218. Following their recent bloody war, Gaethje has now come forward with a response to the night’s fight.

UFC 218 took place inside the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan on Saturday night, Dec. 2. The highly anticipated fight card included a hoard of intense match ups. The main event saw UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway go toe-to-toe with former champion and former opponent Jose Aldo for a highly entertaining title fight rematch.

Holloway unified his interim title with a TKO victory over “Scarface” back at UFC 212. Once Frankie Edgar was pulled from his main event slot for UFC 218 due to an injury, Aldo stepped up on short notice for a chance at vengeance against the reigning champion. However things once again did not go Aldo’s way, as Holloway earned a second consecutive third round TKO victory over the fighter. Of course, there were more wars inside the octagon than just the main event.

While Gaethje had only a single octagon performance on his record coming into UFC 218, the fighter was still largely a fan favorite for his match up against Alvarez. That being said, the fight did not go the MMA warrior’s way.

After putting on a bloody show for the Detroit crowd, Alvarez managed to put his opponent away in the final round with a brutal knockout finish. From inside an ambulance, as the fighter was being rushed to the hospital after his loss, Gaethje has now offered a message on his recent defeat.

“It’s the name of the game.” Gaethje said. “It’s why I do it, because it’s so much fun. On to the next one… Eddie was the better man, for a second.”

Prior to his defeat at UFC 218, Gaethje was undefeated in his mixed martial arts career with a record of 18-0. The fighter made his octagon debut at The Ultimate Fighter 25 finale event with a TKO stoppage over Michael Johnson.